When one thinks Buffalo Sabres, one has to think Gilbert Perreault. Perreault is certainly a must for any vintage hockey cards collector. Gil’s 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee rookie card #131 is worth as high as $100, according to Beckett. The Topps version of the same card is rated at a high price of $40. Very recently, the Topps version sold for $39.99 on an eBay auction.
A bit of useless trivia about the Topps version of the Gilbert Perreault rookie card – it was the second last card in the 132 card series with number 132 being a checklist. That same season, Perreault was also featured in the 144 card Dad’s Cookies hockey card set.
Why is Gilbert Perreault so valuable on cardboard? As mentioned above, Perreault is synonymous with the Buffalo Sabres franchise. Gil was the first overall pick in the 1970 NHL Amateur draft. The first two picks belonged to the two new expansion teams, the Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks. The Sabres won the right to the first overall pick by picking a number on a spinning wheel. That number? 11 – Perreault’s jersey number throughout his career in the National Hockey League.
Gilbert Perreault Collection:
Gilbert Perreault – Junior Hockey
Before the NHL, however, Perreault was already a star in the Ontario Hockey Association (today’s OHL). Gilbert played three seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens. The team won the Memorial Cup in Gil’s final two seasons, 1968-69 and 1969-70. In his final season, Perreault was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHA’s MVP. He finished second in scoring that season to Marcel Dionne of the St. Catherines Black Hawks. Perreault had 54 goals and 121 points in just 51 regular season games. He added 38 points for the Junior Canadiens in 16 playoff games.
In his first year in the National Hockey League, 1970-71, Perreault was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie after a 38 goal performance. The only other major award that Gilbert won during his 17 year NHL career was the Lady Byng Trophy in 1972-73 after sitting just 10 minutes in the penalty box over 80 regular season games.
Gil was a member of the 1972 Team Canada Summit Series team that beat the Soviet Union. Perreault played in just two games with Canada before leaving the team. Subsequently, Gilbert’s card in the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Team Canada subset was relegated to common card status.
Twice during his NHL career, Perreault topped the 100 point plateau. In 1975-76, his 113 points placed him third in the league behind Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens and Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1979-80, Gil’s 106 points put his in fourth behind Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings, Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers and Lafleur.
A four year captain of the Buffalo Sabres from 1982-83 to 1985-86, Perreault is still the all-time Sabres leader in the following regular season categories:
• Games – 1191
• Goals – 512
• Assists – 814
• Points – 1326
Gilbert has nine NHL all-star games under his belt. He is the only Buffalo Sabre to ever wear the number 11 as it was retired after his retirement. Perreault was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Gil will go always be thought of as one of the most exciting players in the game of hockey.
Gilbert Perreault Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1967-68 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 47 | 15 | 34 | 49 | 10 |
| 1968-69 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 54 | 37 | 60 | 97 | 29 |
| 1969-70 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 54 | 51 | 70 | 121 | 26 |
| 1970-71 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 38 | 34 | 72 | 19 |
| 1971-72 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 24 |
| 1972-73 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 28 | 60 | 88 | 10 |
| 1973-74 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 55 | 18 | 33 | 51 | 10 |
| 1974-75 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 68 | 39 | 57 | 96 | 36 |
| 1975-76 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 44 | 69 | 113 | 36 |
| 1976-77 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 39 | 56 | 95 | 30 |
| 1977-78 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 41 | 48 | 89 | 20 |
| 1978-79 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 27 | 58 | 85 | 20 |
| 1979-80 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 40 | 66 | 106 | 57 |
| 1980-81 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 56 | 20 | 39 | 59 | 56 |
| 1981-82 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 62 | 31 | 42 | 73 | 40 |
| 1982-83 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 30 | 46 | 76 | 34 |
| 1983-84 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 31 | 59 | 90 | 32 |
| 1984-85 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 30 | 53 | 83 | 42 |
| 1985-86 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 72 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 28 |
| 1986-87 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 20 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 6 |
| NHL Totals | 1191 | 512 | 814 | 1326 | 500 |